For Deanna

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) pie shell 1 cup white sugar 1 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup butter 4 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup bourbon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees F).
2.	In a small saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter or margarine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter or margarine melts and sugar dissolves. Cool slightly.
3.	In a large bowl combine eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Slowly pour sugar mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until set and golden. May be served warm or chilled.

I think this goes without saying, but, I used milk chocolate chips. I had to cook this much longer than it said before it set. I have a pie crust shield that I used to keep the crust for burning while it stayed in the over for at least an extra 20 minutes.

You can find this recipe on Allrecipes.com. (Click Here)

Two New Recipes for November

I was beginning to think I may not get a new recipe tried before the month was over but I did, I tried two, and boy am I glad. Both recipes were a success.

This soup is from the Lion House Classics cookbook. My friend Jennifer brought it to a card group luncheon we had last month. I really liked it and wanted to try it out on the fam. She gave me the recipe some time ago but I didn't read it very thoroughly so I had to make some changes today since I didn't have some things that it called for. Here is the recipe as written. I included my changes in parenthesis.

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2 teaspoons chicken soup base or 2 bouillon cubes (I only had granules so I used 2 tsps of that)

3 cups canned chicken stock (I used 2 cups broth and 1 cup water mixed with the granules mentioned above)

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

3/4 chopped onion (I didn't measure any of my veggies, just cup up what I wanted)

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I only used one)

1/4 C. evaporated milk or 1/2 cup whole milk (I used whipping cream, I didn't even measure LOL!)

Roux /see page 12 (Wait. What?!? I don't have page 12. I only have a photocopy of this one page.)

2 cups cooked diced chicken (I boiled 1 breast)

2 1/2 ounces cooked noodles (about 4 cups) See my notes on noodles below.

She added peas and I liked it so I did it too.

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat chicken soup base and stock together. Add veggies and simmer until tender. (Instead I melted 1/4 cup of butter, added veggies and cooked them in butter for about 10 minutes or until tender. Then I added heaping tablespoons of flour to make a roux. After that I whisked in the chicken broth, water and bullion and brought it to a boil) Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Thicken with roux as desired then add cooked chicken and noodles. (I added the condensed soup against my better judgement but it ended up okay once I added the whipping cream. I wish I had made my own condensed soup but I got lazy. Anyway, once I got the condensed soup in there and the noodles and the chicken and the peas it got way thick even with the cream. Like super scary thick so I added a whole other can of chicken broth and it turned out perfectly.) Season with salt and pepper. (I also added season salt)

I used my autumn dishes and served the soup with a crusty sourdough. A salad would have been nice too.

Do you guys remember the commercial for Life where they all watch Mikey to see if he would eat the cereal? We re-lived that with Andrew tonight. Emma eats all soups, Paul eats most things even though he makes his preferences known, I knew I liked it so Andrew was the final judge. He pushed away his bowl and I told him to go to his room. He didn't want to, he said he would rather eat the soup, so we told him to eat the soup. Next thing we knew the bowl was empty. Emma said "He likes it!" Wahoo!

My favorite part of the soup were these noodles. These are from Macey's and can be found in the freezer section close to the pies.

They are really thick and chewy like homemade. I loved that. Andrew said he didn't like them, but again, his bowl was empty. If you can find a big fat awesome noodles like this, use them. I think they are what makes the soup.

The other recipe we tried tonight was Muddy Buddies.

Yes we have been living under a rock. The cereal in on a really good sale this week so we decided to give it a try. I cut the recipe in half. Don't do that. Make it all. You will not want to stop eating it. It is so good. We are trying to save it for the Amazing Race but I don't know if it will make it.

If you have been living under a rock too here is the recipe.

9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination. We used rice)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (of course I used milk chocolate)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2cups powdered sugar

1.Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

2.In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

3.Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Grandma's Pumpkin Bars

Sorry, I didn't get a picture before they started to disappear.

We love these bars. I have to monitor Emma or she would eat the whole tray.

Paul requested them on Sunday. I told him that I would happily make them, if he did the dished. I have never seen him so willing to clean in my life.

The only downer to these is it makes a lot, more than our family can handle, and they don't store very well. We either try to make them when we can share them or I leave them out uncovered. You do have to trim off the dry edges. The rest is pretty good. If you cover them they get kind-of soggy and gross. Tupperware didn't really work either. Maybe just put a cloth over the pan? I don't know the best storage solution so you will just have to eat them all!

Pumpkin Bars

Wet ingredients:

2 Cups canned pumpkin (Libby's is a must)

1/4 C. cooking oil

4 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

2 Cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon slat

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 Cups sugar

1/2 bag of chocolate chips (In my house we only use milk chocolate. I will NOT waste calories on semi-sweet. They taste like poo. Ask me how I really feel.)

Topping:

Cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the wet ingredients in your mixer. Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly add to the wet mix. Once just combined pour into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan (cookie sheet with an edge) Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar. I like to put so much on it can't even soak in.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (My current oven cooks really hot. I only need 20 minutes these days.)

An Experiment Gone Awry

Andrew has been sick. He missed two days of school. Not a lot happens when you have a sick child.

Friday he was able to go back to school just in time for all the Halloween festivities. My morning was spent getting last minute things together for Emma's class party, getting a costume for Paul and doing everything else I hadn't been able to do since I was playing nursemaid.

I knew that when I was done with my errands it would be time to eat (lunch was going to be my first meal of the day so it wasn't optional) and then I would have to get myself transformed into Maleficent. There wasn't going to be a minute to spare. I needed something easy and yummy for dinner.

I had come across this super cute idea in one of the blogs I follow. Click Here Let's see. I could throw everything into a crockpot and have dinner preparing while I was at the school. I had almost all the ingredients plus it was healthy and it was festive. Score!

While picking up my cookie kits at Macey's I got some split peas, barley and pumpkin bowls.

I also got some ground pork because my mom's split pea soup always had pork balls in it. (That sounds wrong doesn't it?)

I got it all put together and told the kids we were eating witches brew for dinner. I also told them I added green dye to make it spooky ookey looking.

They were willing participants in this experiment. No surprise here, Andrew didn't like it. Neither did Paul. There was a spice he didn't enjoy, which is weird because there are all normal spices I use all the time. Now are you sitting down? Guess who didn't mind it? Emma! She didn't love the barley but otherwise enjoyed it. Just when I think I know my kids. I thought it was okay but then again I have never been a fan of split pea soup.

It was cute but it was a total waste. I am sad that Witches Brew served in pumpkin bowls will not be a family tradition.

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it.

Witches’ Brew (Split Pea and Barley Soup)

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried split peas
1/2 cup barley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
9 cups water or chicken broth
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 potatoes, diced (I don’t peel them!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 T. dried
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir until well combined. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Add more water if soup is too thick. Serve in bread bowls.

Backened Chicken Alfredo

This recipe is so quick and easy. I make a big batch of the rub and keep it in a small tupperware in the cupboard. I use a Foreman Grill for the chicken and dinner is served in about 15 minutes.

RUB INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

ALFREDO INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream

You will also need:
1-2 chicken breasts
Penne or Corkscrew pasta

DIRECTIONS

Get a pot of water boiling for pasta. Cook pasta according to directions. Sprinkle the rub onto one uncooked chicken breast. I use a lot. Grill the chicken. While the chicken is cooking combine alfredo ingredients and stir over medium-low heat until sauce is formed. Toss with penne pasta that is cooked and drained. I use a little more than half a bag of pasta. Once chicken is cooked serve over pasta that has been tossed with the sauce. I cut it horizontally into about six strips. We like this with garlic bread and if it is a good night, a salad.

New Recipe for October

Can you believe I tried a new recipe on the first day of the month? Gooseberry Patch has a blog that I check and today they posted a recipe for Corn and Potato Chowder. Doesn't that sound divine? Since the last two days have been in the 40's I had really been craving soup. I had almost everything I needed for it too. What a happy coincidence.

Corn & Potato Chowder

1 T. butter
3 to 4 slices bacon
1 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. green pepper, chopped
1 T. garlic, minced
2 T. all-purpose flour
4 to 5 c. chicken broth
5 c. redskin potatoes, peeled and chopped (I left the skin on most of my potatoes)
2 c. carrots, chopped
2 c. corn
1 c. heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
1 t. fresh thyme or dill, chopped (I used dry dill)
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried parsley)
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Melt butter in a stockpot; add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside; reserve 1/4 cup drippings and return to stockpot. Add onions and peppers and heat until tender; stir in garlic and heat one minute longer. Remove from heat and sprinkle in flour; blend well. Gradually stir in 4 cups broth; add more as needed to reach desired consistency. Stir in potatoes and carrots. Return stockpot to heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender. Add corn, salt and pepper; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer. Stir in cream, herbs and reserved bacon; simmer 2 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I thought it was really good but not that different from my potato soup. My kids family prefer the potato because there are less scary vegetables. (Andrew didn't even want to try it because of how it looked. He ended up clearing out his bowl though!) My potato soup is far from healthy but I think it might have less fat than this. I have to admit I had some issues with cooking bacon in butter and then consuming all the drippings but I did it. Paul didn't think the bacon or the grease added much to the flavor and I agree. I would totally make this and eat it again but not very often since I am trying to eat healthier.

New Recipe for September

I had eaten this Chicken Salad at Maggie's house but never made it myself. Is that cheating? I'm going to say no it isn't since Paul had never had it. The kids wouldn't even taste it. Paul thought it was okay. I guess this will be a recipe that is used for girlfriend lunches and not for a family meal. It would be perfect for baby showers or a brunch. Sorry I don't have any pictures.

Chicken Salad

2 C cooked, cubed chicken

1 ½ C seedless red grapes, halved

1 C chopped cucumber (I leave this out of mine)

¾ C sliced almonds

¾ C shredded mozzarella cheese

½ C poppy seed dressing (I use Brianna's)

Leaf lettuce (Please do not use iceberg)

6 croissants or pita pockets

In large bowl, combine chicken, grapes, cucumber, almonds and cheese. Add dressing and toss to coat. Line bread with lettuce and fill w/ chicken salad.

Recipes!

Biscuit Topped Cobbler

This is how my grandma always made the topping for cobbler so of course it is the only way I like it. I didn't have enough peaches so this was more like sweet biscuits with a miniscule amount of fruit but other that that it was delicious!!!

2-4 cups of fruit, if using peaches peel and slice them (I have used blackberries and it was out of this world!)

2/3 cups of white sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1/4 water

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine everything in a sauce pan and cook until thickened and bubbly.

Meanwhile mix

1/4 C. melted butter

1/3 C. white sugar

2 C. Bisquick

1/2 C. milk in a mixing bowl.

Stir together until just combined. Don't over mix. Pour your fruit into a baking dish and top with biscuit topping. I put a few pats of butter on top of the biscuits and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. (I found this too hot. It made everything too brown for me but it was still wet in the center. Maybe it was because my biscuit layer was so thick? Anyway I baked at 375 this last time for longer that 20 minutes and it was still a bit dark for me. I am just going to keep messing around until I get it right.)

This past week I got an email from Betty Crocker. It had two recipes in it that I was interested in trying. There was something I liked in each and something I didn’t like in each. My only option was to combine them and come up something of my own! I am now calling this Mexican Goulash.

I made it Sunday, which was still August. I should have saved it for Tuesday and used it as my new recipe for September but after being at the pool on Saturday I wanted to make something that didn’t require a trip to the store. I had everything I needed (this is a great food storage recipe since almost everything came out of my freezer or a can) so this became our Sunday dinner.

I really like this a lot. Paul thought it was a little too spicy and the kids didn’t really care for it but they did eat the meat.

Chicken Breast sliced (I only used one)

McCormick Taco Seasoning

Oil

1 8oz can of tomato sauce

1 16 oz. Jar salsa (I used Pace Medium)

1 bag of PictSweet Authentic Mexican Corn & Black Beans (Freezer Section)

Uncooked pasta (Maybe a cup?)

Grated Cheese

Fried Flour Tortilla Strips

Toss chicken pieces in oil and taco seasoning. Cook over medium heat until cooked through and no longer pink.

Drain off extra oil and any juices (I mopped them up with a paper towel) Add your tomato sauce, salsa and one cup of water to the meat and stir. Once everything is incorporated add the dry pasta

and the bag of veggies,

stir again and then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile fry your tortillas strips. After the 15 minutes give everything another good stir and then sprinkle with cheese, cover for 1-2 more minutes until the cheese is melted.

Top individual servings with tortilla strips. I served with cheddar cheese Bisquick biscuits.

This past week I got the thrill of my life in my email inbox. Read the last paragraph. It talks about their favorite recipes from two of their newest cookbooks. Well the recipe they chose IS MY RECIPE!!! I am on page 100 of the new cookbook with my steak chili recipe and out of the whole book that is the recipe that they decided to feature. How fabulous is that!?!

Peach Julius

A few years ago Emma went to play with her friend Kayla. While Emma was there Michelle made Peach Julius's (Or is it Julius'? Who knows? Who cares? I don't!) for the girls. When I went to pick up Emma she was raving about this thing she had and how I just had to make it. I asked what it was and if I could have the recipe. Michelle told me it was a Peach Julius and jotted down the recipe on a little bitty post-it note. I still have that post-it and I keep it on my fridge so I can make these every year. Each time I see it I think fondly of Michelle, peaches and summer.

Now I have to be honest. I was scared to death to try these because I think the Julius's you find in the malls are WRETCHED, HORRID and VILE. The source of all evil is that toxic power they use. Barf! I gave in however to my little daughters demands and made the julius and actually really really enjoyed it. I also like to think that it really isn't that bad for you either. A little sugar never killed anyone right? Still though, I prefer to call it a shake but learned last night that many of my family members would call that blasphemy since I use milk and ice and no ice cream. (Whispering-I hate vanilla ice cream and swear I can taste it in a shake and it leaves a curdled milk taste on my tongue so this recipe is actually better for me. Jen don't rat me out okay.)

So as long as the peach gods keep leaving peaches in the bountiful harvest booth we will be enjoying a shake/julius before bed.

Peach Julius

3-5 peaches peeled and diced

3/4 C Sugar

1 C milk

12-24 ice cubes

Blend together and enjoy! I half the recipe and this is what we yield. Paul does not partake.

New Recipe for August

We are getting close to the end of the month and I hadn't tried anything new yet. I saw this recipe for Foil Packet Chicken with Snow Peas and Carrots on the blog, My Kitchen Cafe (That is a link that will take you to the recipe) and decided to try it. It sounded yummy, easy and I am still of the mindset that there has to be something healthy that we will all eat. The only problem? I don't like Hoisin Sauce. I went to the store looking for substitutions and decided to try sweet and sour and a spicy szechuan sauce. I wanted to try plum sauce too but decided not to push my luck. 

So without further adieu here is the recipe.

Foil Packet Chicken with Snow Peas and Carrots

*Makes 4-6 foil packets

One bag of baby carrots (I bought the super small ones)
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I have the minced garlic from Costco and used that)

Salt and pepper
I used 2 chicken breasts since I knew the kids would eat too much.
Sauce of your choice (Hoisin, Sweet and Sour, Spicy Szechuan or Plum all seem like good options)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut 4 pieces of aluminum foil large enough to wrap everything up. In a small bowl, combine garlic and the ginger you just grated.

I like to trim up my chicken and get all the nasty stuff off. Also I wanted smaller pieces so I knew for sure it was cooked through since I couldn't peak in the packets to check.

Arrange the carrots and peas on the aluminum foil.

 Sprinkle with the ginger/garlic mixture, and salt and pepper to taste.

Brush both sides of the chicken with your sauce. Top each portion of vegetables with a piece of chicken. Salt lightly.

Fold up your packets. Put the foil packets on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with rice, we like the jasmine rice. (I labeled mine since we had two different sauces)

Mine didn't turn out as pretty as the ones on the other blog. They didn't get that nice browning on them. This is the sweet and sour.

This is the spicy szechuan

Our Review: These were okay. Paul felt like the carrots were too crunchy (it didn't bother me but as we know he thinks veggies should be smooshy) and that they chicken in the sweet and sour was a bit dry. He preferred my spicy sauce but it was too spicy. We need to see if there is just szechuan instead of spicy. They ate the meat and rice but they totally steered clear of the veggies. I would be willing to mess around with this to make it fit my family better but I doubt we will make it again for a while. 

New Recipe for July

I was really eager to use my peas in a stir fry but unfortunately neither kid likes to eat it. I asked around for some ideas and this recipe was posted. It is very stir fry-ish but different so I am qualifying it as a new recipe and therefore the kids had to try it. I was also hoping that the kids would like it. Andrew did, Emma didn't. No surprise there. Paul and I both enjoyed it. 

Light Sesame Chicken

3 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 egg whites (While separating your eggs make sure you put the other one in a good place. Those little suckers can really roll)

Oops!

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 shallots, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds broccoli florets, steamed until tender-crisp 

(I don't always follow directions. I wanted more veggies than just broccoli. I also didn't read the instructions very thoroughly. I didn't pre-steam my veggies. I added them into the pan and cooked them at the end. Paul likes his veggies the consistency of baby food so this is the better option for us.)

In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce and garlic. Set aside. This smelled really good.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

In a large frypan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through, for 6 to 8 minutes. 

(Here is where I ran into some problems. I just dumped everything into the pan and it was like chunks of chicken in one giant fried egg, only much stiffer. I had to chop out the chicken chunks with a spatula and throw away all the weird eggs stuff. If you take out one piece of chicken at a time, put it in the pan and don't let it touch any of the other pieces and you should be fine. The chicken that still had some of the coating was really yummy.) 

Transfer chicken to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken. Return all chicken to frypan. Add honey sauce and shallots and toss to coat. Add cooked broccoli and gently toss. (Or in my case all the veggies and cook them to mush.) 

We will be eating this again.

It was fast Sunday? Oops.

Yesterday I was making dinner plans for the week. I wanted Joi's Southwest Soup. I know it is June but it sounded really good to me. I figure since I'm the one cooking I get to choose every once in a while. Well I made it this afternoon and felt pretty guilt about making such a big lunch on fast Sunday. I got over it though once I started eating. Yummy! It was even overcast and drizzly making soup during this time of year seem oddly appropriate.

Here is the recipe that my sister in law Joi gave me years ago. I have made a few changes to the recipe which I have listed below.

Southwest Soup

16 ounces tomato sauce

2 cans (14 ounces) chicken broth

1 large tomato diced

1 large green pepper diced

1 large purple onion diced

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Dash of Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

Combine all ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over crushed tortilla chips and top with grated cheese.

Substitutions- I like to boil one or two chicken breasts while the vegetables are simmering then shred the cooked chicken into the soup. I also add a cup or more of frozen corn and a can of rinsed black beans. We have also topped it with cubed avocado and that is yummy too.

New Recipe for April

I am still following through with the resolution of trying a new recipe every month. The reason I tried this recipe was simply out of desperation. I made chili for dinner. We go back and forth between scones (Utah's version) and cornbread as the side dish. I was planning on doing cornbread but Paul had other things in mind. He wanted scones. I didn't have have any of the frozen dough that I usually use for scones. Hmmm. Since our scones are more like fry bread I did a search for Indian Fry Bread. It was too late to use yeast so I picked a Manataka recipe that didn't call for any. It turned out like a deep fried biscuit, not that there's anything wrong with that, but it wasn't as sweet and bread-like as we are used to. Also I didn't smoosh them enough so some were still doughy on the inside. I don't think I would recommend the recipe to anyone but just incase someone wants to try it here it is.

Fry bread

4 cups flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup warm water

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add in the shortening and water. Add only enough water to make dough stick together. Knead dough until smooth, make into fist-sized balls. Cover them with a towel for 10 minutes then pat them out into circles about the size of a pancake. Fry in hot cooking oil in cast iron skillet until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

I'm still cold...

Since we have gotten home Sunday night we have had almost a foot of snow fall. I tried to find the exact total with no luck but I would really love to know how much we've gotten. Now keep in mind that it melts very quickly, so that's great, but it is still snow and it is still cold. In honor of the cold I made more soup on Monday. It just seemed appropriate. It was really good. Paul and I both agreed it was nice to have a home cooked meal. Here is the recipe that I use for my Chicken Tortilla Soup. I can't remember where I originally found it.

I use frozen corn just because I don't usually have canned. Also I only brown the meat with half the seasoning and put the other half in the soup that is simmering. Don't know why, but that is how I do it.

I love making my own tortilla strips with the left over corn shells. I just fry them up, drain them on a paper towel and then put them on top of the soup. I didn't use to eat avocados (I know, right? What was I thinking?!?) but last year Maggie and I went to lunch at the Foundry Grill up at Sundance and they served their soup with avocado cubes and sour cream. It was delectable. Ever since then I have served mine the same way.

I made the world's best corn bread (Well that is if you like a sweet, cake-like, corn bread. If you don't this might be barfy to you.) to go with the soup and it was awesome!

I have halved this recipe many times. I just eyeball half of a 1/3 cup for sugar and bake it in an 8x8 pan for about 30-35 minutes. We love it with honey butter.

I hope this helps warm someone up who is out there freezing like me.

Spring Storms

We woke up to snow this morning. Spring storms don't really bother me since the snow doesn't usually stick on roads and the driveway so really it was okay. Andrew had a project he had to take to school (We didn't get a picture of it finished. Oops. We put sand in the bottom and attached two pictures of whale sharks. It turned out pretty cute.) so I drove the kids instead of having them ride the bus.

I had on a navy blue Disneyland sweatshirt, no bra (it's a very big and thick sweatshirt and I am part of the IBTC so I don't feel too bad about it) and navy and white plaid flannel PJ pants and shoes that are slippers, or slippers that are sort of like shoes. Can you see where this is going?

We get half way to school and the gas light comes on in the car. Paul ran it out of gas over the weekend. Doh! At this point I am now half way to the store/gas so after I drop off the kids I drive down to get some gas. I stand out in my pj's getting said gas and then think, while I am here it would be silly to not get what I need for dinner. Sooo I went into the store and subjected all those poor shoppers to the horrors of seeing a mom wearing inappropriate clothing, no bra, slippers and no make-up.

I got what I needed and tonight we had a delicious dinner of Potato Leek Soup, sour dough bread from San Francisco and fresh pineapple (a family favorite). It was the perfect meal for a cool, snowy day. This is a picture I took of it for my recipe book I made a few years ago.

Now we don't get our panties in a twist around here about things like fat, cholesterol and calories (I know it's obvious) so if you do worry about those things this recipe is not for you! We only eat it a few times each year but we all love it. It goes together quickly and it couldn't be easier to make.

Utter Randomness

Ahhh. I almost forgot. Yesterday we got good mail. We got our tickets to Stadium of Fire. This is our first time going inside. Usually we are sitting out by the Marriott center watching the show with about a million of our closet friends. We had wanted to go last year (it was the first time we could afford to go) but then they got Miley Cyrus to come and the tickets sold out instantly. We were so out of luck. (unless we wanted to spend the $1,000 people had them listed on Ebay for) This year we bought tickets before we even knew who would be performing. We found out later that it is the Jonas Brothers. Emma isn't as excited as we thought she would be but we are going and that thrills me!

I was suppose to work today but Gary called last night and said not to come in. I was so excited that I would get to have the quite morning to finish my lesson for Relief Society today. I figured that way I would have all of Friday and Saturday to just practice it.

There are two conference talks that I have to cover. I have been reading through them and thinking about this lesson since January! I have a pretty good grasp on how I am going to intermingle them and present them but I am at a point where I need to decide what to cut out of each and it is throwing me for a loop. So here I am blogging. At least I have some laundry going so I'm not a total slacker.

I have also come to realize that if I have other projects hanging over my head I can't focus. Even though card group isn't until next week I busied myself (AKA not doing my lesson) by making the cards, this week. I am also spending too much time over-thinking the door decoration for teacher appreciation week. (More to come on that Monday)

Anyhoo here are my cards. They're nothing fancy, but I did step outside of my box and did some stitching on them and they are done with a week to spare.

Last night we went to a skate party. Emma had been practicing riding on her roller blades with Jenna just for this occasion. They would work their way up the hill and then come speeding back down. I chose not to watch this. It made me nervous. She came in on Tuesday with a big raspberry on her knee.

She didn't make a big deal out of it at all. The next day it had stiffened up and the gauze had gotten stuck to it. (Oh the whaling and gnashing of teeth. Please don't let me be anywhere near her when she gives birth) but that didn't stop her from skating. It did stop her from changing into pants that matched her t-shirt that she was suppose to wear.

We love that they allow scooters there. (Andrew's in the green sweatshirt, yes he wore it two days in a row)

It was fun talking and hanging out friends while the kids did their thing but it was loud and DIRTY. My arm kept getting stuck to my table. Ewww. The food there left a little to be desired as well. You had your choice of crappy pizza, bad nachos or a dirty water weenie (Maybe they were roasted. Who knows, really who cares? I wasn't taking my chances with any "meat" from a skating rink) We opted for crappy pizza and bad nachos.

After we were done skating we got a "FREE MEAL" (I hate how they yell that out) from Cafe Rio because you know, eating a giant, chicken burrito served enchilada style at 8:30 at night is always a good idea for someone wanting to drop a few (like 30) pounds. After that we headed home, got the kids showered up and put them to bed. They crashed pretty quick last night and that's always a good thing.

Now on to other randomness.

As you know one of my resolutions was to try a lot of new things this year. Recipes, restaurants, stores and locations are all included. We have been doing really well with this resolution and it has been a lot of fun. There are others that I am struggling with a bit more though. Yes I had soda last night, twice. Shut up!

On Sunday we made steaks with Jack Daniels Sauce, another new recipe. It is something I had been wanting to try for years. We finally got brave enough to buy the whisky while we were in Wyoming for New Year's so there was nothing stopping us except the weather. Now that it is officially grilling season again we went for it. I wouldn't say it is exactly like TGI Fridays but it is super close.

Here is a link to the recipe. If you need a Tablespoon of Jack let me know. ;) I will also put the recipe here.

This seriously took almost three hours to make and good grief did our house stink while the garlic was roasting. Whoa! I finished it before church (No one told me I smelled like garlic on Sunday. We you all just being nice?) and kept it in the fridge while we were gone. I had to heat it back through when we got home because it has gotten too thick. Also you don't want to marinade in this because of all the sugar. Sugar in marinades is what causes your steak to burn and get crusty. We soaked ours in teriyaki and then basted the meat with this at the very end, like a minute or two on each side. We had a little dish of it to dip into and that is where it's at. I didn't dip a couple of bites into it and it wasn't as good. You must dip!

Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze

Ingredients:

1 head garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2/3 cup water

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons minced white onion (I used dry onion from my food storage and it worked fine)

1 tablespoon Jack Daniels Whiskey

1 tablespoon crushed pineapple

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Cut about 1/2-inch off of top of garlic. Cut the roots so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove the papery skin from the garlic, but leave enough so that the cloves stay together.

Put garlic into a small casserole dish or baking pan, drizzle olive oil over it, and cover with a lid or foil. Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 1 hour. Remove garlic and let it cool until you can handle it.

Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture boils then reduce heat until mixture is just simmering.

Squeeze the sides of the head of garlic until the pasty roasted garlic is squeezed out. Measure 2 teaspoons into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and stir.

Let mixture simmer for 40-50 minutes or until sauce has reduced by about 1/2 and is thick and syrupy. Make sure it doesn't boil over.

Now I am off to finish up my lesson. Wish me luck.